Red Sails 1928

Arman Manookian made "Red Sails" with what looks like tempera or gouache, those flat, matte colors, and boy, do they sing! Look how the sky's been scrubbed in, and the composition's been built up from these blocks of saturated colour. The texture is so smooth, it's like the paint has been breathed onto the surface. The shapes in this piece are really something, and they give this whole scene a dream-like quality. Check out the way he paints those palm trees, they're so sharp and graphic. And then there’s that bold red sail against the blue, creating a vibration that's hard to ignore. These colours aren’t subtle, and Manookian makes no apologies for it! It’s like he’s in conversation with Gauguin, but he's pushing it further, taking those flattened planes and bright colours into a space that feels more urgent and alive. Art’s always about that conversation, isn't it? Bouncing ideas off each other, seeing what sticks. It’s a messy, beautiful process.